A while back I did a blog post on all the “toning shoes and sneakers” flooding the market – with promises of toning your legs, butt and thighs… Claims to lift & firm your butt and round your buttocks… Simply by wearing these (UGLY) curved-bottom clunkers and walking around town in them…

Ummm… yeah, right… LOL…

So – you want the latest legal smack-down on this total sillyness?

Well; here it is:

FTC curbs “toning shoes” claims.

The Federal Trade Commission has announced that Skechers USA, Inc. has agreed to pay $40 million to settle charges that the company deceived consumers by making unfounded claims that its Shape-ups athletic shoes help people lose weight, and strengthen and tone their buttocks, legs and abdominal muscles. The settlement with the FTC is part of a broader agreement, also being announced today resolving a multi-state investigation, which was led by the Tennessee and Ohio Attorneys General Offices and included attorneys general from 42 other states and the District of Columbia. [Skechers will pay $40 million to settle FTC charges that It deceived consumers with ads for "Toning Shoes." FTC news release, May 16, 201] http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/05/consumerrefund.shtm

Click Above for Skechers Shape Ups Refund Procedure

Not sure if you recall but here is the post where I first warned my readers of this whole crazy and far-fetched “toning shoe/sneaker” hoax.

This is a quick and simple blog post to let all RSS subscribers know The MAG-Factor Fitness Coaching website is open and off to an amazing start with VIP clients already reaching short term goals in only a week..

To see if there is any more room for you – come and take a look at these links, ASAP:

Try These 5 Top Foods to Manage Your Menopause Symptoms

Menopause can make life a challenge in many ways. Finding even just a few ways to manage the symptoms can go a long way in making your days more pleasant and positive.

One of the most powerful and health promoting nutrient groups are EFA’s, better known as; essential fatty acids. Omega-3’s are an ideal and abundant source of EFA’s and here are five foods which can fulfill all your EFA needs, to help manage menopause symptoms and make your life more enjoyable:

1: Wild Caught Salmon (avoid farm-raised when possible). Other fish sources high in Omega-3’s are cod and halibut.

2: Kidney Beans – mix with chopped sweet peppers and arugala; add your favorite extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and you have an EFA power-meal. Pinto beans and white beans are also excellent options for this little recipe.

3: Wall-Nuts – enjoy with your favorite fruit, such as fresh figs or melon. Pecans and hazelnuts are also great choices.

4: Ground Flax Seeds – add into your favorite salad at lunch and/or dinner. Goes well in smoothie shakes too. And you can also sprinkle over steamed veggies.

I don’t know if it’s the time of year – or just a coincidence, but there seems to be a lot of talk time being devoted to the topic of emotional eating. We’ve also been getting many emails from people looking for help with this very common issue.

So, I’ve posted a basic, but helpful, article to help people who suffer from the mildest, but most common form of emotional eating. This article has been submitted by health writer, J. Davenport:

5 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating

– By John Davenport

Do you ever find yourself eating even though you know that you’re not physically hungry? In nearly all of us, hunger is not only a physical thing but an emotional one as well. We eat, not just to feed our body, but to comfort ourselves when we’re feeling stressed out, sad, angry, or bored.

This is emotional eating and it’s a challenge millions of people face.

The problem is – if you want to maintain a lean and healthy body, all the extra calories you consume by emotional eating will come back to haunt you – in the form of excess body fat and a poor medical profile.

For this reason, I want to present you with a 5 step action plan by which you can stop emotional eating forever:

Step #1 – Avoid Comfort Food

We all have a weakness for certain kinds of food. These are the foods that give us the most comfort (short as it is). Each person has his or her own comfort foods but some of the more common ones include mass-market chocolate, ice-cream, pizza, and sugar or salt rich items (junk foods).

To make it easier for yourself to avoid these foods, you need to go through your kitchen and get rid of these foods. Just throw them out. Once these foods are not in your home, you will have to work harder to get them.

A little here and there is fine, but emotional eaters tend to use these foods as their main ‘crutches’. So there has to be some self-control in order to shift where you get your calories from. You want high quality, nutrient-dense calories first.

Then you can think about eating some of the “bad” foods you enjoy on a limited basis.

Step #2 – Cook at Home

I often see people eating their lunch during their work break. They are so hungry that they don’t even realize how much they’re eating. And the fast food lifestyle teaches everyone how to eat more, not less. So when you combine the stressful demands of work and the comfort found in eating, the combination is a bad one.

The best thing you can do to reduce temptation and overeating when you’re out of your home is to carry food that you’ve prepared in advance with you.

Yes, it’s a bit more work but it will not only save you a whole lot of calories, but some money as well. Cooking at home is much cheaper than eating out every day. And in most cases, it’s healthier.

Step #3 – Reduce Stress In Your Life

The biggest cause of emotional eating is stress. We are surrounded by it at our job, at home, when driving. It’s the hectic modern lifestyle, but you’ve got to find a way to alleviate some of this stress.

Here are a few tips:

– Try some breathing exercises each morning and night. Here is a free video on Breathing Exercises
– Practice basic yoga and/or meditation.
– Take some time for yourself each evening and watch a sitcom. Laughter reduces stress very quickly.
– Avoid people who add stress to your life. (this may be the toughest, but one of the MOST critical)
– Exercise daily, even if you only have 10 or 15 minutes on any given day.
– Try trading massages with your significant other; or go pay for one.

Step #4 – Eat from Smaller Dishes

Have you ever found yourself eating food right out of the bag or box and then finding out that you’ve eaten nearly all of it without even noticing it?

The best way to stop this kind of mindless overeating is to place all your food on a small plate or in a small bowl. Our mind immediately judges the amount of food we have by how it fills our dishes. If the dish appears full, we tend to think of the portion as sufficient.

This is an easy and effective way to eat less, regardless of your mood. And the more you do this, the more natural it becomes.

Step #5 – Practice Mindful Eating

The final step you need to take to overcome emotional eating is to turn eating to something more mindful. Most people eat out of reflex. They don’t put any thought into it. This is how you overeat because most people eat until they are ‘over-full’ in order to feel satisfied.

Before you eat your next meal or snack, stop for a second and ask yourself: “Am I really hungry?”

If the answer is ‘Yes’, go ahead and eat. If it’s ‘No’, then this was an emotional hunger and just by putting a little thought into it, you’ve managed to avoid falling for it.

You’ve just saved yourself some useless calories and have exhibited powerful control over your false emotions.

Use these 5 steps and it will become much easier for you to stop emotional eating, eat healthier, and lose body fat.

One of the biggest things which has surprised me the most, in all my years of doing one-on-one training and coaching, is the number of people who are challenged by general anxiety and panic attacks.

Once I realized how common this issue was/is – I felt the need to explore it further and see how it affects the average person on a daily basis – and what implications it has on one’s health and fitness.

Most of the symptoms are in the list below – although there are other, more severe, symptoms which I have not included here:

- Dizzy spells leading to panic and episodes of fear
– Tightness in throat and chest- shortness of breath
– Racing heart with tingling sensations
– Sense of no control over life/daily matters
– Hot flushes followed by waves of anxiety
– Obsessive worries and unwanted thoughts
– Not feeling connected to what is going on around you
– Overwhelming fear that the anxiety will push you over the edge?

One thing is for sure – the people who made proper exercise a consistent part of their life, experienced a significant reduction in anxiety and panic attacks.

I believe 2 of the main reasons for this are:

(1) you are “in control” of your body, mind and health when you exercise regularly – and any way you can be “in control” is a way to reverse feelings of NOT being in control…

(2) Exercise is a natural stress reliever – and stress is a major underlying factor in anxiety/panic disorders. So, when you reduce stress through exercise you reduce one of the main ingredients of anxiety/panic attacks.

This is why some of the most successful anti-anxiety programs include exercise as one of the critical elements of their program. One of the best-known programs which includes ‘exercise’ in it’s protocol can be reviewed here: No Anxiety – No Panic

When we speak of exercise in this area – there isn’t “one right choice”. There are many – and it truly depends on the client. Here are some options:

In addition to the above 2 reasons why exercise is a key component in anti-anxiety/panic reduction programs is another reason…. Exercise has a beneficial effect on various elements and hormones throughout your body.

These elements are extremely powerful and work in ways which are still being studied to be better understood. Some call them ‘internal relaxants’, ‘mood enhancers’ or ‘brain balancers’.

Regardless of what we know them as, or call them – one this is certain… The cause and effect relationship has been proven time and time again: Exercise has positive effects on stress, anxiety and panic attacks.

If you feel you need help in this area – and also believe in the exercise component, then take a look at the demo video at the panic-away website: No Anxiety – No Panic

I think you’ll appreciate all the info there….

If you know someone who can benefit from this, just forward this link to them – they’ll thank you for it.

Yoga is big business. VERY big – huge actually. In addition to the practice itself there are clothing lines, franchises, nutritional supplements, resorts – and more – all built on the foundation of ‘yoga’…

But there is an inherent problem that comes with this phenomenon

Just like in the fitness instructor/personal training field – there are dozens of “certification courses” creating new and inexperienced yoga instructors every single month, all around the world. Now – this isn’t a problem if the instructor is well-matched with appropriate students and is skilled in their method of teaching.

But – quite often that is not the case. Don’t get me wrong though – as there are many top-notch yoga instructors in literally every city and town around the globe. The challenge is finding the right “match” – just like when seeking out a personal trainer of fitness coach.

“What does Joey know about Yoga?”

…and here’s your answer:

If you’ve been using my any of my home, office and travel fitness programs – you may have noticed some exercises or stretches resemble a yoga pose, move or position… And this would be correct as most of my programs are a ‘fusion’ of exercises and a blend of workout methods…

But – by no means am I calling myself a yoga instructor. Not in the slightest…

Having been in the fitness industry for well over 22 years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting some of the best people in various areas of fitness – two of them are listed above. I have another longtime yoga friend who is on more of a global stage though…

More on him later as I want to answer the original question of today’s post…

“Are there really any benefits of yoga?”

The answer is “Absolutely.” (stress reduction, toning, flexibility, health enhancement, sexual performance improvement, etc…) …BUT – since there are so many forms of yoga – and so many instructors out there – It’s up to you to define your personal needs and then seek out the proper style/instructor which best matches your current abilities and specific goals.

“Joey, what are some good snack foods that taste good and satisfy my cravings?”

When you are trying to keep your body and health at it’s best – what you put into your body is a critical factor. No two ways about it…

But it’s no secret that the challenge of ‘snacking’ can be the “Achilles heel” of your perfect fitness and nutrition plan. One slip-up and you drive yourself crazy thinking you’ll never be able to “stick with it” all because you haven’t mastered the art of snacking with satisfaction and wiping out your deadliest cravings…

Snacking properly is a critical part of your long term success. It’s one of the reasons so many people “fall off the program”. However – the right “snack tactics” can be your greatest ally in your personal quest.

Here are my top picks for ‘fitness’ snacks to keep you on target for your goals, and SATISFIED:
1 – One and a half ounces of almonds, cashews or walnuts and a small banana. The mixture of high-fiber carbs/protein/healthy fats provides your body with the proper ‘fuel-mixture’ which wipes out feelings of hunger – and the urge to eat even more. With those 2 elements gone – you’ve ‘busted’ your cravings and it’s smooth sailing to your next meal-time.

2 – One cheddar cheese stick and an apple (gala, jonagold, braeburn, etc). The same physiological principle I mention in #1 applies here too. BUT – here’s an added tactic that not too many people know about. Sprinkle ground cinnamon on your apple slices – and sprinkle cayenne pepper on your cheese stick. These 2 spices have a positive effect on your blood sugar/insulin levels – and help keep your appetite in check for a while. I use both of these spices every day, on various snacks and foods.

4 – A nutrition bar with proper nutrient ratios for stable blood sugar levels and optimal energy. You want to be sure to stay away from any type of bar with artificial/chemical sweeteners (such as aspartame, acesulfame-potassium, sucralose, etc…). These can do a number on your stomach and actually increase your appetite (not good!) – not to mention your long term health.

The EFA's in these bars work magic on getting rid of hunger - and since they taste incredible, your cravings are totally busted and gone.

WARNING: if you have kids, and they find your stash of these bars - they will devour them. Yes, they are that good. Truth be told - I'm glad to let my kids eat these because there is no crap in them - and they are USDA Organic. Only 180 calories and ready for you to just grab and go.

All 3 flavors are incredible and what's perfect is I place a quick re-order every 3-4 weeks. I don't ever worry about running out of these because every month my new stash is delivered right to my doorstep. Life is easy - and good!

Do you know someone who is also interested in reading today’s e-newsletter? Probably several people, right? Then feel free to just forward this to them. You have my permission – And they will appreciate you sharing this with them.

In this leg, butt and thigh exercise video clip, I bring you through a combination sequence of four body-weight exercises which stimulate the legs, glutes and thigh zones. These will also get the middle and lower back working as well to help tighten, tone and reduce flab.

This mini-workout can be done as a solo exercise routine – or you can combine it with the other free exercises on this website – or in my complete, home and travel workout programs for purchase (e-manuals,dvds, etc…)

This lower-body exercise combo-sequence includes four body-weight movements. They are:

Lying down on a mat or soft surface, facing up – place your heels and calves on top of an exercise ball (55cm or 65cm is ideal). Arms on the ground at your sides. Lift your hips off the ground by pushing your heels and calves into the ball. That is your starting position. Then curl your heels in toward your hamstrings, while pushing your hips toward the sky. Stop when the bottom of your feet are on top of the ball. Then slowly return the the starting position.

TWO – Double-Leg, Knee-Up & Down (for quads, fronts of thighs)

Get onto your hands and knees – on an exercise mat or soft surface. Bring your toes forward. Then slowly lift your knees off the ground and get your glutes up toward the sky – so your legs are almost fully straightened. Then slowly return to the start position – lightly touching your knees to the ground.

THREE – Symmetrical Hip-Extensions (glutes, low and mid back)

Lying down face-up now. Bend your knees and point your toes upward – so your heels are the only part of your feet touching the floor or mat. Push your heels into the ground and lift your hips toward the sky. Give a slight pause at the top. Then slowly lower your hips to touch the mat. Breath out on the way up (as you exert) and breath in on the way down (as you relax).

FOUR – Exercise Ball Squats (for the whole lower body)

Place an exercise ball (size 55cm – 65cm) against a wall and then lean against it with your lower back area. With your feet shoulder width apart – slowly squat down as the ball rolls up toward your upper back/shoulder blade area. Pause for a second or two – then slowly return to the top position, keeping a slight bend in the knees at the top. Breath in going down – breath out going up.

If going through this body-weight exercise circuit is too easy – try it a second and third time. You can also add 5 or 10 repetitions to each set for a longer exercise sessions and a more intense fitness challenge.

After you’ve tried this lower-body exercise sequence – please post your feedback and comments below – and then please do share this with anyone else you know who can benefit from this kind of helpful fitness information.

As always – I remind you to get your doctor’s medical clearance for exercise before starting any new exercise program – or if you are unsure about your own physical ability and readiness for exercise.

Women send us these types of success stories every day – But as you can understand, most of them ask me NOT to share them publicly. And I understandably agree.

Fortunately, for every bunch of ‘private’ fat loss/fitness success stories I get – there is usually one person that allows me to share their story, publicly, on the blog – like this one below…

Please share your thoughts and praise in the ‘comments’ section at the end – and please share the link to this page with anyone you know who can use this type of motivation and inspiration… Here it is…

Mom’s Fat Loss Secret: How Siobhan Dropped Many LBS of Fat

— happily submitted by Mom of 4, Siobhan Callaghan

I was in absolute terrible condition for my age! After having my fourth child I was so busy about home life, taking care of the kids and everyone else – I just put myself last and let myself go.

My heaviest weight was around 200lbs. I suffered from panic attacks low self esteem, constant headaches, fatigue and I had awful back ache, with falling arches in my feet as well.

Sadly, the only thing good was my cholesterol levels were fine!

I hate to admit it but emotionally I was crushed. I was always the high-spirited ‘’joker’’ of the group, the one who seemed to make others happy. I always knew people cared for me but they also (I feel), didn’t look up to me or I suppose maybe even didn’t respect me.

Siobhan Before

I hated shopping because I could never find anything that would fit me properly and I always hated any special occasions that I would have to dress up for because I could only wear clothes that were made for women in their 50’s!

There were always tears to be shed…

But at the end of last April I went out on a friends birthday party with a bunch of girls and got the kick in the butt that I needed!

Siobhan After

There I was among other women my age, who had children too, and well… embarrassingly I WAS the biggest girl there and the most dootsy dressed. The only thing I could think of that night was why and how have I done this to myself??

Siobhan Before

I thought that I too deserve to look and feel good, feel confident and sexy and most important to be and look as young as I was…. I was just going to have take the time for myself which I never did before, realizing that it wasn’t or wouldn’t be selfish for me to it. I would only be selfish by continuing to let myself get so far out of shape and unhealthy.

There was only me that made the mistake and only me that could fix it now.

The first thing I did was a simple, yet focused, week of healthy, controlled eating. I have to say it did help get rid of all the sugar and salt cravings. When the week was over I was stronger inside and more determined and I knew that this was something I really wanted to do, to take control.

I didn’t join any weight watcher clubs, I just stuck to fruit and veggies and chicken and started to buy wholegrain bread and pasta/rice and I bought myself a skipping rope! I was fairly new to the internet (and still am!) and just started to Google anything and everything to do with losing weight or exercises.

As my hips were the biggest part of me I Googled hip & bum exercises and that’s when I first came across my life support!–JOEY ATLAS!

Siobhan After

There it was… a free download sample of exercises – and I signed up for his free e-newsletter which educated me and I just knew this man was talking sense and in plain old fashioned English with no big health or fitness words that I didn’t understand.

The best thing was, after doing my jump rope I always did the free exercises from Joey and you know, I could see results which made me want more. I was hooked – and Joey earned my trust.

I was so delighted to order his program – I knew it was just meant for me! I was like a kid waiting on Santa after that!

When I did my first session well what can I say I couldn’t do it.. that’s how unfit I was…

My whole body was shaking and nerves twitching everywhere that I could only do maybe 4 or 5 repetitions on each exercise! And as for the next day well it hurt (in a good way) and the day after that, too! I knew this would be the thing that worked for me. Even though it was a challenging start.

Siobhan Before

But as Joey told me in the instructions to “do what you can and that it will get easier”, well those words of encouragement really persuaded me to stick with it and of course he was right..it did get easier and I did do more and I got results!

Joeys plan is very easy to stick to and all the exercises can be done almost anywhere and as a busy mum of 4 kids, I didn’t have to leave the house to see to myself and get my workouts in!

More importantly I had no expensive equipment to buy which was an added bonus. The ULBHTM is very easy to follow, Joey makes you feel that he’s right there with you step by step by the way he structured the program, I found it much easier to stay focused, get into the exercises and I suppose, get them right.

Siobhan After

My current weight is now right where I love it and I’m wearing my favorite dress sizes which are around (UK) 8/10. I had a wedding about a month ago and bought myself a USA dress size 4! WooHoo!!

I hadn’t wore a dress since my wedding dress nearly ten years ago and I went from white to black! that’s the dress in my after pics which I did pose for because now I can!! LOL!

Beforehand I always hid behind people in pics which now I wish I didn’t because I would have had great before pics! But nonetheless – you can still see how bad I was.

Its great; now I can almost buy anything I want to wear as long as its not too pricey and not too bare cos even though I’m “half the woman I used to be”, I am so used at covering up myself but I’ll get over that hurdle too!

I want to do more now, get in better shape & go out shopping more! I feel renewed!!

My physical and emotional energy levels are much better now and I’m always up for new challenges and fun things!

I feel that my personal success has made me stronger as a wife, mom and friend – and I have far more confidence in what I can do, not just emotionally but physically.

I have learned that it is important to start to love and and take care of myself and not just others, I need to be confident to make my kids confident, I need to be aware to make my kids aware, I need to be active to make my kids active, I need to be motivated to make my kids motivated and I need to care about myself to make my kids care about themselves, I am trying to educate them that it is important to be fit and healthy and that it can be very fun doing it!

The feed back from others is mostly good. A lot of people don’t recognize me anymore which can be funny! Then you get some saying ah you’ve done enough now you look brilliant so Stop!

It can be hard for some to understand that I actually enjoy eating healthy and exercising, that its not “just to keep the the weight off” for superficial reasons, I just need it for my emotional stability!! I want it for my longevity and… ‘cos I enjoy it!!! that’s all!!

I was asked “was I taking anything” which actually insulted me and I thought well if that’s what a close friend thinks then what does everyone else think! So it knocked me back but again I pushed forward! I’ve learned that people can be jealous of others success and I had it mentioned to me a few times.

I also have learned that people can be inspired by others success and so encourages them to follow suit!

I feel in control of my life and health now, I know where the grass is greener! I wont let myself go like I did for so long, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier!

Now I always try to start my day off and get up an hour earlier than the kids to do my ulbhtm program, and like Joey advises, if you want your morning coffee then have it!

Joey has the best ‘secret seven’ snack foods ever, and people who come in to my house and see the (natural) peanut butter jar look at me funny and say you ate that and lost weight??!! (Good job the don’t see my dark chocolate!!)

I make good, healthy food choices, and if I get even ten mins free I do a little cardio like skipping rope to up the metabolism and to boost my energy levels. I usually go for a 4 mile brisk walk weather permitting! And if I don’t get the time during the day to do my ulbhtm exercises, I leave it till I get the kids to bed and do it then..

I feel that I’m now more the person on the outside that I have been on the inside for so long.. So I feel I’m freed from the suit or ‘shield of armour’ and instead put the armour into my mind so that I’m stronger person now.

For all the women, and men, who feel they’ve let themselves down or are prisoner in their bodies, well… you’re not.. that’s all in your mind.

Take control of yourself, love yourself and your body.. ‘Cos if you don’t, who will??

Start by saying to yourself “I am in control of who I am and I am going to be happy.. I deserve to be happy..”

And when you control the thoughts in your mind you will control what you do with your body… what you feed it, how you use it, and you will come to realize that the effort is worth it and more importantly it is fun!

And if you have a bad day today, then don’t tell yourself ‘you’ve failed’ or that you can’t do it. Don’t give up hope, because every minute that lies ahead waiting for us is always a new one that we can start from, again.

The only way to encourage change is to think like a baby; you have got to be able to balance on your feet before you take your first steps and then you must learn to walk before you run and everyone stumbles and falls, but rise again and soon you will be fast on your feet…

- Siobhan CallaghanDonegalIreland

You must admit, this is an incredibly inspiring story of positive change and leading by example. We would love to hear your thoughts about this. Your success, your challenges, your goals – just post them below – because I would love to know… Just click on that oval shaped ‘Comments’ button you see just to the right over here…